Question 1

Which of these events, based on plant fossils, came last (most recently)?

Accepted Answer

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are the most recent group of plants to appear and diversify based on fossil evidence, with their rise occurring in the Cretaceous period (around 145 million years ago) and continuing into the present day. The other events listed occurred earlier in geological history, with B occurring in the Ordovician-Silurian period, D in the Carboniferous period, and A in the Mesozoic era.

Question 2

What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to land?

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.

In the figure, which number represents an embryo?

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

Which taxon is essentially equivalent to the "embryophytes"?

Accepted Answer

Embryophytes refer to all land plants, which is essentially equivalent to the Kingdom Plantae.

Question 5

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.

Which number represents a megaspore mother cell in the figure?

Accepted Answer

A megaspore mother cell is a diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to produce haploid spores. In the given figure, number 3 represents the megaspore mother cell, which undergoes meiosis to produce haploid megaspores that eventually develop into the female gametophyte.

Question 6

A student encounters a pondweed that appears to be a charophyte. Which of the following features would help the student determine whether the sample comes from a charophyte or from some other type of green alga?

Accepted Answer

Charophytes are distinguished from other green algae by the presence of phragmoplasts, specific structure of sperm cells, and rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes.

Question 7

Spores and seeds have basically the same function-dispersal-but are vastly different because spores ________.

Accepted Answer

Spores are typically unicellular, whereas seeds are multicellular and contain an embryo along with stored nutrition.

Question 8

Why have biologists hypothesized that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit?

Accepted Answer

Biologists hypothesize that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit because the ancestors of land plants, green algae, lacked the structural support to stand erect in air.

Question 9

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.

In the figure, meiosis is most likely to be represented by which number(s)?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The following question refers to the generalized...

Question 10

Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte of land plants ________.

Accepted Answer

Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte allows it to be nourished by the parent plant, providing it with the necessary nutrients to grow into a mature sporophyte.

Question 11

Which of the following environmental factors probably helped early plants to successfully colonize land?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following environmental factors probably...

Question 12

You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. The mystery organism is most likely a plant and not an alga if it ________.

Accepted Answer

A cuticle is a waxy layer that covers the surface of plants to prevent water loss, which is not found in algae.

Question 13

According to the fossil record, plants colonized terrestrial habitats ________.

Accepted Answer

The fossil record suggests that plants colonized terrestrial habitats in conjunction with fungi that helped provide nutrients from the soil.

Question 14

About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would have ________.

Accepted Answer

About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would have had non-vascular, green plants similar to liverworts forming green mats on rock. This is because the first land plants were primitive, non-vascular plants that could not grow tall and lacked a root system. They formed green mats on rocks and soil, and these would have been the dominant life form on land at this time.

Question 15

If the kingdom Plantae is someday expanded to include the charophytes (stoneworts), then the shared derived characteristics of the kingdom will include ________.

Accepted Answer

Charophytes share rings of cellulose-synthesizing complexes and the ability to synthesize sporopollenin with land plants, which are key derived traits.

Question 16

The most direct ancestors of land plants were probably ________.

Accepted Answer

Green algae are the most closely related organisms to land plants and share many similar characteristics, indicating a close evolutionary relationship.

Question 17

The following question refers to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the figure. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant part, and each number over an arrow represents meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.

In the figure, which number represents the mature gametophyte?

Accepted Answer

In the generalized life cycle for land plants, the mature haploid gametophyte produces gametes. Number 7 represents the mature gametophyte because it is haploid and is not connected to any diploid sporophyte structures. Numbers 1 and 3 are diploid sporophyte structures, while number 11 is the zygote, which is a diploid structure formed by fertilization.

Question 18

Which of the following could occur only after plants moved from the oceans to land?

Accepted Answer

The movement of plants onto land provided new food sources and habitats, enabling animals to follow and adapt to terrestrial life.

Question 19

The structural integrity of bacteria is to peptidoglycan as the structural integrity of plant spores is to ________.

Accepted Answer

Sporopollenin is a tough and resistant polymer found in the outer layer of plant spores, providing structural integrity and protection from harsh environmental conditions. Lignin and cellulose are also important structural components of plants, but they do not specifically contribute to the structural integrity of spores. Secondary compounds refer to a wide range of chemicals found in plants for various purposes and may or may not contribute to structural integrity.

Question 20

According to our current knowledge of plant evolution, which group of organisms should feature cell division most similar to that of land plants?

Accepted Answer

Recent molecular and morphological evidence suggests that land plants evolved from a group of green algae known as charophytes. Therefore, some charophytes are the group of organisms that would feature cell division most similar to that of land plants.

Quiz 29: Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Which of these events, based on plant fossils, came last (most recently) ?

What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to land?

Which taxon is essentially equivalent to the "embryophytes"?

A student encounters a pondweed that appears to be a charophyte. Which of the following features would help the student determine whether the sample comes from a charophyte or from some other type of green alga?

Spores and seeds have basically the same function-dispersal-but are vastly different because spores ________.

Why have biologists hypothesized that the first land plants had a low, sprawling growth habit?

Retaining the zygote on the living gametophyte of land plants ________.

Which of the following environmental factors probably helped early plants to successfully colonize land?

You find a green organism in a pond near your house and believe it is a plant, not an alga. The mystery organism is most likely a plant and not an alga if it ________.

According to the fossil record, plants colonized terrestrial habitats ________.

About 450 million years ago, the terrestrial landscape on Earth would have ________.

If the kingdom Plantae is someday expanded to include the charophytes (stoneworts) , then the shared derived characteristics of the kingdom will include ________.

The most direct ancestors of land plants were probably ________.

Which of the following could occur only after plants moved from the oceans to land?

The structural integrity of bacteria is to peptidoglycan as the structural integrity of plant spores is to ________.

According to our current knowledge of plant evolution, which group of organisms should feature cell division most similar to that of land plants?